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In this week's Catch 82 column, wide receiver Bryant Johnson shares his scouting report on the 49ers home contest against the New York Jets.**
Last week in Buffalo, we started out offensively feeling we could control the game. We came out with the tempo that we like to use – very upbeat and getting in and out of the huddle quickly, shifting and getting set and attacking. We had success early, but unfortunately didn't sustain that throughout the game.
In that first drive, we came out running the ball with Frank Gore, and when he gets going that helps everybody. Frank is definitely a guy who is capable of carrying the offense on the back and once he gets going, it kind of opens up things in the passing game as well. Defenders start trying to key in on the run and it makes them susceptible to big plays down the field. I think that's exactly what happened on that first drive, because they were focusing on Frank and we were able to hit them with some big passes and convert on third downs.
It will be kind of tough to run against these guys this week because they do a great job against the run, but I think we have the personnel to be able to it. As receivers, we can help out in the run game by being able to sustain blocks and making key blocks.
One of the guys who needs to be acounted for in the run game is Kris Jenkins. He's a good run stopper and he does a good job plugging those gaps. Linebacker Calvin Pace has also been a big time playmaker for them, and he is someone who I am very familiar with. We were both drafted in the first round by the Cardinals, and I played with him the last several years. He's been making a lot of plays for them, and I know he's going to play hard.
Their front seven also does a great job applying pressure on quarterbacks, especially Shaun Ellis. He's a great player, and a guy who I remember hanging out with when I had my recruiting visit at Tennessee. He's a good dude, and he's playing very tough and is getting pressure up front, along with the rest of their guys.
We have to be able to protect Shaun Hill and give him some time to make plays down the field, because he will.
On paper, they have given up a lot of yards in the passing game. But as soon as you cut the film on, you see that their corners play very physical. They try to get their hands on receivers and try to knock them off routes and not let them off the ball, so we have to be good with that this week.
They are a team that plays a lot of Cover 2, with both safeties high. Those guys are playing well, and really helping out and making plays from back there in the secondary.
At cornerback, Ty Law is a vet, and so I'm sure that he's watching film this week trying to find things that he thinks he can maybe use against us. Their other starter Darrelle Revis is playing well. They are matching him up on the better receiver and he seems to be holding his own.
David Barrett is playing mostly in dime, and he's a guy who was in Arizona at the start of my career there. I remember him being a tough guy. Despite him being smaller, he's very physical and he runs very well.
As a whole, I just expect all of those guys in the secondary to play physical, especially the corners. They are going to try to disrupt us at the line of scrimmage and we have to defeat those jams to keep the timing of our passing routes where it needs to be.
As it is every week, a key to our success as a team is solid ball security. If we all do our jobs, execute, and protect the ball, I think we should have some success.
